A jealous man who disfigured his ex-girlfriend's new partner by stabbing him in the face has been found guilty of aggravated assault after four days of jury deliberations. The man tried to impersonate the victim by calling 911.
Posted at 11:23 a.m.
Soheib Henni Mansour, 28, was accused of trying to kill Hassan Mennis and Zayed Bouday on November 2, 2022. His jury trial opened at the end of October at the Montreal courthouse. On Sunday, the jury acquitted him of the most serious charges of attempted murder. Only a reduced charge of serious assault was brought against Mr. Mennis.
The accused's ex-girlfriend had just had a child with her new flame, Hassan Mennis. On the fateful day, the accused had also congratulated his ex-girlfriend on her new baby. Very empty words, since in fact, the accused has obviously never accepted that his ex-girlfriend has started her life again without him.
The same evening, at La Fontaine Park, Soheib Henni Mansour, accompanied by a friend, attacked Hassan Mennis, the baby's father. An attack of great violence. The accused stabbed him several times, including once in the face, which left him with a deep laceration from his left jaw to his chin.
The jury concluded that Soheib Henni Mansour did not intend to kill him, however.
According to the Crown, the accused then stabbed Zayed Bouday, the brother-in-law of the first victim, in the back. However, Zayed Bouday refused to answer lawyers' questions during the trial. Judge Chantal Tremblay even accused him of contempt of court.
In these circumstances, the jury was not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused had in fact stabbed Mr. Bouday. Moreover, the knives were not found at the crime scene.
The accused did not testify in his defense, which is his right. A decision which, however, weakened the thesis of self-defense raised by the accused's lawyer. In the eyes of the defense, it was Soheib Henni Mansour and his friend who were first attacked by the victims. A thesis rejected by the jury.
According to the Crown's evidence, the accused likely tried to put the police on a false trail after the armed attack. He actually called 911 three times to pretend to be a victim.
Me Jessica Drolet and Me Geneviève Bélanger represented the public prosecutor in this trial lasting several weeks. Me David Leclair defended the offender, who remains free until his sentence. Sentencing submissions will take place in the coming weeks.
